Fashion: Yarn Style

[The Mad Hatter]

Confessions of a Mad Hattknitter

 
 

Ready for the mad hat confessions? READ ON:

 

As a newbie knitter, I thought hat-making, in my innocence, was a lighthearted adventure. A junior in college, I'd moved in with my first serious boyfriend in Spain--he was half Spanish--and I eagerly knitted hats to keep us warm. There was no central heating in our stone home in chilly Galicia, and I got used to cooking and even sleeping in multiple layers of woolens. Unfortunately, the building was not the only chill factor in Spain, as my ex unceremoniously dumped me. He cast off the hats I'd knitted just as callously. Somehow, they became inexorably linked with the pain of that separation, and I never knitted a hat again.

 

crochet hat

 

Some twenty years later, I learned how to crochet a hat (it was crochet, not knitting, so it was safe) and I wondered what the fuss had been all about. Making the hat was pleasurable and I could hardly remember that long-ago boyfriend’s face anymore. I was happily married, full of zest, and brightly-colored beanies, turbans and caps were catching my eye.

Gem, by Sarah Hatton

 

You see, even while I avoided them, certain hats would coyly wink at me from knitting catalogues. I indulged secret longings for the Gem hat, pictured above, and sighed over Little Pumpkin when no one was looking.

 It was the arrival of my baby niece, Marie, that finally broke me down. I just couldn’t resist making her a Chouette!

 

 

A hat for my father-in-law followed, and then more gifts.

 

Man's Basic Hat

 

Bankhead Hat

It’s official, I am a hat knitter again. There’s just one small problem--I don’t seem to be able to stop!

Star Hat

 

This last month, I can’t seem to wait even one day between finishing one hat and starting another. The door of the forbidden treasure trove is open, and I am diving in!

 

Timber Bay

 

The Simple Brioche Beanie by Fruityknitting
 

It seems I don’t just love knitting hats, I adore them. So I don’t think I’m going to stop any time soon.

 

Watch out, people! There’s a MAD HATknittTER on the loose!

 

 

Big City Hat

 

"Truss:" An Ultra ModernTunic in Rowan Lima

 

Every now and then, you encounter a pattern that is so fresh that it captivates you immediately. I tried on the Truss Tunic by Shellie Anderson during the Shibui Trunk show at my LYS, and it was love at first sight!

 

 

In spite of the horrible name—isn’t a truss a kind of roof framework?—the tunic is very flattering. Based on what I saw at the trunk show, it suits all body types. My tall, skinny friends looked as great in it as did my shorter, curvier ones. In fact, no sooner had my friend Lexie and I tried on the tunic than we cast it on! She and I basically have opposite body types so we will have to get a joint photo of the two of us wearing our tunics side-by-side.

 

Truss is simple to knit, featuring stockinette edged by ribbed borders. I happened to have some wonderful Rowan Lima yarn in my stash which is a very similar yarn content to the Shibui Maai the pattern calls for, so I decided to save a ton of money and knit with that. It seemed to me that a tunic's worth of Maai yarn + the additional strand of Shibui Pebble the pattern called for would cost about $200, whereas the Lima in my stash was bought 40% off when it was discontinued and came to about $65. You can now find Rowan Lima yarn under the new name, Valley Yarns Peru. At the trunk show, I had tried knitting with the Shibui Maai and I found it pretty splitty so I really didn’t feel it was worth the money. Without adding in a second thread along with the Lima, my gauge was a bit tighter than that of the pattern, so I went up a size.

 

 

I believe the side slit in this tunic makes it work because it keeps you from looking like you are wearing a huge slab of fabric. When you see it face on, the slit is not very noticeable, but when you move, the tunic moves with you, revealing a bit of leg.

 

 

I really like the lightness of the Lima yarn in this tunic and found the pattern fun and easy to knit. The only change I would recommend is leaving the stitches for the back and front center sections of the neck on a holder. The pattern instructs you to cast them off and then cast them back on and knit the collar up so that your ribbing matches that of your cast off stitches perfectly. Excuse me, but how is that possible? I found it really fiddly to pick up stitches to match the ribbing this way between body and neck and this was way more time-consuming than it needed to be. If I had just kept those stitches on a holder to begin with, the finished result would have been more polished and I’d have saved loads of time. But overall, I definitely recommend this pattern!

 

Torquata Shawl by Ambah O’Brien

 

Shawl designs have been captivating me lately. In the past, I had viewed shawls as antiquated garments, especially when they featured lace, but there is a whole new generation of knitters who have reinvented the shawl as a super modern garment. Ambah O’Brien is really inventive with colors and patterns, and in Torquata, she created the perfect showcase for gradient yarns and lace that still manages to look sophisticated.

 

 

Shawls are such recent ventures for me that my file folder to hold photos of my projects was created five months ago. But as I knit more of them, I realize they are the perfect contemplative project. Following a simple stitch pattern, without worrying overmuch about shaping, your attention is free to focus on the colors and patterns as they unfold. It is the most relaxing kind of knitting, I now realize.

 

Torquata features lace panels of triangular-shaped eyelets which allow the beauty of the hand-dyed yarn to stand out. I used Miss Bab’s Twoply Toes gradient set, which I had bought last year at Stiches West, and I was amazed by how beautifully the colors shimmered and how soft the merino was in my hands. It is incredibly comfortable to wear this shawl and I think it will become a go-to piece for both summer and winter now.

Lily by Marie Wallin is finished! #slowfashionoctober!

 

Today, I am wearing Lily by Marie Wallin. The cardigan is knitted in Rowan Felted Tweed yarn.  I made extensive adaptations to Wallin’s pattern. For one, I cut out the crocheted lace edging which seemed too cute, and removed the bottom ribbing in the washed-out clay hue, which I felt diluted the fair isle colors.

 

Also, I added waist shaping to the sweater, which is designed to be a boxy shape which is not flattering for me:

 

On the back piece, I reduced 26 stitches from the hips to waist and then added then back in for the bust. This required planning, as I needed to make the large rose panel at the waist line up between the backs and fronts, but my experiment in lining up the charts worked, and you can't tell the garment was meant to be knitted differently.

 

 

 

I adapted the sleeve pattern as well, so that it was as fitted as the body of the sweater. In retrospect, I think the sleeves came out more fitted on the bicep than they needed to be, and in future I would leave more fullness there to balance out the shape of the garment. I also added in an additional pansy panel to the bottom of the whole sweater to replace the ribbing section.

 

 

Finally, I converted the pullover into a cardigan. Felted tweed is just too warm to wear as a pullover in the California climate for more than two months of the year. I felt that if I were going to put all the work into this piece, I wanted it to be a versatile jacket that I could wear all year long. The short sleeves make that possible, as they keep the garment from being too warm to wear in summer. The fairisle incorporates some of my favorite colors: celadon, amethyst, slate blue and white, so it will definitely match my spring and summer skirts and tops.

 

 

This brings me to #slowfashionoctober. I have been reflecting a lot this month on how to bring a slowfashion philosophy to my knitting. And I feel the single most important focus should be wearability. It seems better to spend three months making one piece that fits perfectly than three pieces that will take up extra space and yarn and not fit my daily needs.  

 

 

For this project, I established a project notebook with my desired finished dimensions, and gauge. I diagrammed the shaping and measured each piece, blocking it as I went along and unraveling if necessary to ensure the correct fit. As a result, Lily fits me extremely well. Yes, the button band gaps in a few places, but I don't think that is because the fit is off. As Kate Atherley, the technical editor of Knitty explained it, button bands just gap. You can see that when the cardigan is laid flat on the table it is happening, without any curves underneath! So I will add in a few snaps.

 

Since the cardigan fits me, incorporates the most common colors in my wardrobe and is flattering, I will wear it a lot. I realized #slowfashionoctober really comes down to this: making pieces that make ME look good enough that I will want to wear them all the time. The next step will be to take advantage of all the notes and measurements I gained through this project and knit another felted tweed fair isle cardigan in the same shape. That way, I can leverage all the extra planning and work I did last time and create another successful jacket with, I hope, less effort.

 

Temperate by Kim Hargreaves

 

What do you think of this top by Kim Hargreaves? I am excited it is finished in time for fall! This close-fitting pullover is knitted in Rowan Mohair Haze. I do like the yarn and its lovely, soft halo, but find it extremely splitty. The yarn was created to replace Rowan Angora Haze, but that yarn fiber seemed much higher quality to me.

 

I think, if I could do it over again, I would have knitted this pullover the next size up. It fits perfectly but it is extremely fitted, and I am not sure that is really flattering. The high neck and fitted shape seem to put too much focus in the chest area. Or is that just my impression?

 

I did add a bit of extra waist shaping to the pattern. I do like the fit in back. And the ruffles are my favorite design feature:

 

I felt the pattern was extremely well written, except for the fact that the neckline is so high. Anyway, I do find it a very soft, comfortable top,  perfect for snuggling into during winter.

The Longbourn Shawl & The Halfway Point of the 100-Day Challenge

 

 

Today I completed Longbourn by Kay Jones. It has been so fun to wear my new shawl today! This design is a tribute to the book, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The beautiful cable edging shows the intertwined lives of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett.

 

There is also a gorgeous panel in the middle back (can you tell I haven’t blocked my shawl yet?) which features a butterfly design detail. Elizabeth loved to walk in the country, so the designer, Kay Jones, incorporated that exquisite stitch. The pattern is very easy to follow and extremely well-written so I think even a beginning knitter could make this shawl.

 

The yarn is hand-dyed by Kay Jones and is called Bakery Bears Cottage Fountains. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to purchase it, as her yarn usually sells out in one minute on Etsy. I feel the shawl is a wonderful tribute to the textiles of the Regency Period in England, and I am sure it will be a favorite for me to wear when I am in a Jane Austen mood. It was a perfect knit to celebrate the 50 day mark of my 100-day Summer Challenge!

 

 

Yesterday, I wore Gabriela by Kim Hargreaves.  It is knitted in Debbie Bliss Rialto 4ply.

 

 

 

The cabled fabric has held up quite well over the six years I have worn it, but the white color has faded to an eggshell which I do not like as much. I find that now I need to wear it with prints that incorporate white rather than a pure white pant or skirt, which is too bad. However, I know that pure white is one of the less stable colors in wool yarn and now I tend to use cotton blends if I want a garment to stay that color permanently.

 

Tatsu by Marie Wallin/Day 22 Summer Challenge

  

 

 

Here is a wonderful pattern I just finished knitting: Tatsu by Marie Wallin.  I used the recommended yarn, Rowan Softyak dk, and it does live up to its splendid reputation. Rowan Softyak dk  is a cotton, yak and nylon blend that is soft, light and wonderful to knit with. I adored how comfortable it was to knit this 76% cotton yarn, and I must say that is a rare experience. The yak brings a beautiful halo and hand-feel to the yarn, and I am eager to knit with it again!

 

Isn’t this a pretty lace pattern? It is easy to memorize yet interesting enough to make knitting this top enjoyable. I am very tempted to cast on another project for summer in this yarn, Padina by Lisa Richardson:

 

 

What do you think?

Crocheted Jewelry inspired by Chanel

 

 

Jennie Atkinson’s Crocheted Choker

 

Lagerfeld keeps Chanel clothing modern is by pairing knits and woven clothes with fabulous accessories.

 

 www.chanel.com

As a knitter, I used to focus on just garments until I started watching Chanel fashion shows. It soon became plain to me that the fabulous boots, belts, bags, bracelets and baseball caps elevated the clothing and linked it to current fashion trends. This opened my eyes to the fact that creating fashion isn’t just the clothes. It’s the art of assembling clothes, accessories, makeup and hairstyle together into an overall “look”.

 

http://www.chanel.com

 

The Chanel Paris Soeul accessory collection was particularly notable for the gorgeous choker necklaces worn piled on top of each other. I pined to create the look of a stacked choker, knowing that even if I ever had the money to pay several thousand dollars for each Chanel piece, I wouldn’t! I mean it is awesome the way Chanel costume jewelry is painstakingly made by hand, using a variety of interesting materials such as resin, pearls, lace and enamel, but the prices are SO high. Besides, as a handcrafter, I feel I should be able to find a way to make my own interesting accessories. It took me several years to find a pattern I really liked that created a stacked choker-like effect—the Crocheted Choker by Jennie Atkinson [http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-choker].

 

I used Rowan’s 4mm Swarovski crystal beads in white and topaz, and then green glass seed beads for this necklace. As a crochet neophyte, I did have to take several lessons in order to complete the necklace, but I am very content with it!

 

 

Jennie Atkinson is a teacher of fashion history and her choker pattern has a wonderful Victorian feel, doesn’t it? I do love this piece but I still pined for the pink gorgeousness of the Paris Soeul bracelets for summer.

 www.chanel.com

 

So I used some variegated pink Berroco ribbon yarn to make two Crochet Braid Bracelets  by June Gilbank.[http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-braid-bracelet]

 

 

I paired the two bracelts with a metal/enamel piece I owned that is a museum reproduction to give the same effect I saw in the Paris Soeul show, in which multiple bracelets or chokers were piled on top of each other. I used a small amount of one ball of Berroco Zen colors yarn to make the two bracelets.

 

 

I strongly recommend using ribbon yarn to make bracelets like this. It is stiff enough to create the bulk you need for a firm accessory. The pattern requires a spiral pattern of crochet stitches and when I tried to make the bracelets again using Rowan kidsilk haze yarn with beads, the resulting fabric was so fuzzy that I couldn’t see any of my stitches and I gave up in despair. The Berroco Zen, on the other hand was a dream to work with, and I would definitely use it again to make jewelry!  The pattern is very simple and each bracelet only took me, a beginning crocheter, half an hour to make.

 

 

The Keel Tank by Kim Hargreaves

 The Keel Tank

 

A lot of bloggers are focusing on knitting basic summer garments right now, such as Karen Templar who has started a #summerofbasics KAL. I really like this KAL because making a wardrobe staple by hand allows me to choose a more interesting piece than what I could buy in a store. Take, for example, this tank pattern by Kim Hargreaves:

 

Keel pattern can be found in this book

 

Not only is this tank knitted in Rowan’s heavenly Handknit Cotton, but its softness is enhanced a hundred-fold by an airy lace pattern. Kim cleverly designed the tank so that the knit stitches are made with smaller needles and the purls with needles many sizes larger. This creates a lace-like fabric using simple stockinette which is genius, in my opinion.

 

 

Do you see how light and airy this fabric is? It was SO simple to make. And the fabric’s softness made it a joy to handle. This is truly one of the most enjoyable, easy knits I’ve created in a long time.

 

Rowan handknit cotton

 

 

I usually avoid knitting with pure cotton yarns because I find them very hard on the hands. My friend Kristen, author of the wonderful blog, Knitionary  has reviewed Handknit Cotton multiple times and raved about it, but still I was afraid. But then when Kim Hargreaves latest pattern book came out, filled with gorgeous designs using the yarn, I could resist it no more!

 

http://www.kimhargreaves.co.uk/view-books/sway/#10511-sway/1645

 

Handknit cotton is the best yarn find of 2017 for me, and I plan to knit many more garments out of it. Cotton does have some issues, such as stretching wider over time while simultaneously becoming shorter. I washed my gauge swatch and that’s exactly what the sample did. So I added extra length to the tank and made it in a size Medium instead of Large.

 

The strap construction is quite interesting. You pick up stitches on either side of the front and back pieces, which have been made thinner than normal to accommodate the edging that is added at the end. I think it is clever the way the straps are thus fused into the body of the garment instead of keeping them as a separate attachment, which inevitably stretches away from the body of the garment, looking like a droopy afterthought.

 

 

I do like this tank and consider white tanks an essential basic for summer. However, is this the best tank I could possibly make for my body type and wardrobe needs? I’m not sure, but it certainly was fun to knit!

 

Completed Victoria Cardi/Brunch at Laduree, Paris

 

 

There is nothing more exciting than sewing on the last button of a cardigan, only to try it on as a finished garment! After all the planning and knitting and dreaming, today Victoria has come to life! 

 

 

Who doesn’t love making their own clothes? But I think the true satisfaction of knitting is the ability to transform a dream of oneself, clothed in a piece representing the person you want to be, into a real-life moment. This is why I often photograph my knits in the garden because in that light-filled space fragrant with yellow roses, I feel inspired and free.

 

Inspirational Chanel cardigan 

I suppose freedom is the same reason I am drawn to Chanel—Gabrielle was essentially a self-made woman. An orphan, she used her sewing skills, charm, and cunning to build a business from the ground up. And the knit fabric she used, reclaimed from cast-off war material, allowed 1920’s women a freedom of movement and independence they had never experienced before. Embellishing my knits with a hint of Chanel style reminds me to be bold and to take risks with my own creative projects.

 

 

As a nod to Gabrielle, I used black and gold buttons with a heraldic image which is typical of earlier Chanel knits. In an attempt to emulate the careful couture finish of a designer cardigan, I adapted Victoria’s border pattern, twisting all the knit stitches in the ribbing on the right side and twisting the corresponding pearl stitches on the reverse to create an even appearance.  The problem with normal ribbing is that the knit stitches are often larger and more open than the pearl stitches, creating the impression of gaping holes intermittently between the even purl bands of the ribbing. Anna Zilborg, the anarchist knitter, taught me this technique and I have adapted it to many of my knits, especially those made in silk or cotton fabric, which does not block or fuzz over evenly.

 

I also added waist shaping to this pattern, originally intended to be made straight up and down. Overall, I found Sarah Hatton's pattern easy to follow and fun to knit.

 

https://www.laduree.fr/en/ 

While in Paris, I could not resist celebrating Father’s day with my father and step-father at the Laduree Patisserie on the Champs Elysées.Nothing can exceed the elegance of this establishment or the scrumptiousness of its pastries! Our festive party of six ordered the full brunch, which allowed us to mix and match pastries. The delectable croissants, savory seed and nut buns, and housemade jams were presented on three-tier stands on the table.

 

Brunch was also served with orange juice, tea, hot chocolate, and a choice of omelette or scrambled eggs.

 

But even more spectacular are the petits fours that Laduree displays at the front of their shop

 

 

 

We managed to resist these, but succumbed to a chocolate pistachio croissant to share at the table, and I purchased a box of meringues to go.

 

 

Someday I am going to meet up with some knitting friends here because what could be more perfect than to knit surrounded by so many delicious examples of handmade perfection?